Trauma Informed Care in the NICU: a Multidisciplinary Professional Training Program

This Practice Fair presentation will focus on the commitment to not just "keeping the tiny humans alive," but to ensuring the absolute best start to a thriving life and relationship with a closely attached family. I have spent the past 18 years in the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Iowa. In this tertiary care 88 bed unit, the patient load and stress is high and relentless. In 2022, 50 multidisciplinary staff participated in an online Trauma Informed Care Professional Certification (TIP) program, and the benefits of care through a TIC lens is really exciting! From understanding the effects of pain on early brain developmental and improving our procedural support, to focusing on mindful language and optimal communication with parents, to staff mental health and improved retention, TIC is the "secret sauce" for EBP and best quality/value based care! "Now pretend this is YOUR baby in that bed!"